Chaos Theory
by Woody2792
Summary: Starts with Maddy's stabbing. Joint fic between Woody2792 and CassidyTVNut. Pairings energe - Jac/Joseph, Ruth/Jay, Maddy/Linden, Jeff/Dixie, Ric/Diane, Harry/Ellen AND MORE! - please review!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this is a joint fic between me and CassidyTVNut; I'm doing the odd chapters, whil she'll be doing the evens.**

**We're both review monsters, so any you can give, be it good or bad, are appreciated; especially since she is not feeling too great at the moment.**

**This fic is a semi-alternate take on maddy's stabbing - it provides the opening chapter, as you'll be able to tell, however after this one, it's all ours =) We own nothing, so don't sue us.**

**Thanks, Woody2792x**

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Maddy took a deep breath and leaned against her locker door, one hand trailing down her side and her eyes looking into the middle distance. The shift had been ridiculously tough that day, especially since a third of the nurses were off on some form of course. Fate, being kind as kind as she usually was, had given them 2 major RTCs to deal with, the usual Saturday night overspill from the E.D., as well as the usual admissions. She had had to change her clothes into scrubs more times than she cared to remember, and when she had reached the conclusion that staying in them was a safe bet, she had had to go and get a new pair because a patient vomited over her.

None of this had been made any easier by her boss, who seemed to deem it appropriate to be both attractive to staff members, and yet behave ridiculously cold towards them. It was an inexplicable attraction, but Maddy still went along with it. Yes, his wife may have died, and yes, he may be moody and sullen, but somewhere under all of that, she reckoned he felt some human emotions too. And besides, who was honestly going to refuse something nice to look at in a hospital? The sound of her mobile phone ringing brought her focus back to the present, and she fumbled around to grab it.

'Maddy Young; yes, oh yeah, that sounds great Jay. Yup, see you all down there in ten. Yeah, seeya!'

She snapped her phone shut and slipped it into the pocket of her handbag – drinks in the bar with some of both the staff from the upper floors and the E.D. The brunette grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder before leaving the locker room. She paused briefly outside Mr Cullen's office but thought better of it – nobody would thank her for it if he agreed to go!

It was not long before the lift arrived and took her to the ground floor; she left by the main doors and waved to Chrissie who was buying a coffee pre-shift start. Maddy was near the ambulance bay f the ED when a young man ran up to her, almost crying, asking for her to help him. Suddenly alert again, she followed him round the corner to where his friend was lying on the floor. She began checking his vitals when she felt a sudden pressure in her right side, as though she had been punched. Both boys stood back as she collapsed down onto all fours, unable to make any sound other than a choking one. Carefully, she balanced herself, and felt her way around her waist to her side, finding the handle of something sticking out of her. Shocked, she looked to the boys who were laughing, just as they decided to make a run for it. Pain erupted at the entry site, blossoming out over her whole right side, blinding her to anything else. Her elbows gave way, and she lay on her uninjured side, wincing as she tried to reach her bag, to get her mobile; it was useless though – she could not co-ordinate herself enough to manage.

Everything was starting to get colder, even though she had lost very little blood outside her body. She knew she was going to go into shock if she did not do anything, but there was nothing she _could_ do; it was all in the hands of fate.

She blinked slowly, as she came out of a spate of unconsciousness and felt a pair of strong arms around her, clutching her to the body. There was a bright light around her, so she assumed she was inside somewhere; and then she was placed on a bed. She could hear voices, but none of the words were making sense. Eventually the light dimmed, and the voices were tuned out.

She was going to be okay. She _had_ to be okay, didn't she?


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for reviewing the first chapter, here is the second, written by me, CassidyTVNut. Please review, we thrive on them.**

_She blinked slowly, as she came out of a spate of unconsciousness and felt a pair of strong arms around her, clutching her to the body. There was a bright light around her, so she assumed she was inside somewhere; and then she was placed on a bed. She could hear voices, but none of the words were making sense. Eventually the light dimmed, and the voices were tuned out._

_She was going to be okay. She __had__ to be okay, didn't she?_

'Maddy!' I yelled as loud as my voice would allow me, holding her and trying to stem the bleeding. 'Madz! Come on, speak to me, it's Jay. You're gonna be okay, we're gonna get you to the ED. Hold on for me, yeah?'

She said nothing, simply carried on struggling for breath and wriggling, before slowly losing consciousness, right in my arms. I shifted my arms around her, gripping tighter and holding her closer when the knife fell out. There was no time to curse, so I simply pressed hard against the wound. Everything I had was hoping, praying that one of my closest friends would be okay.

'Someone! Anyone!' I yell with all my might, still putting pressure on this wound in a desperate bid to keep her alive.

And that's when Jeff found us. He was coming around the corner with a stretcher from his last shout, and when he saw the look of desperation on my face and the bleeding woman in my arms, he ran over to where we were.

'Maddy?' he asked, trying to get her to respond.

'Some idiot came over and stabbed her,' I said. 'And then bolted. Can't even remember what he looks like.'

'It's alright mate,' replied Jeff to me reassuringly. 'Help me lift her up, and we'll get her to the ED.'

'Okay,' I say quietly, standing up then crouching down, supporting her upper body whilst Jeff grabbed her legs, lifting her onto the stretcher then hurriedly wheeling her into the ED, where Harry Harper greeted them.

'What do we have?' asked Harry in hushed tones.

'Maddy Young, 28, stabbed in reception, BP's through the floor, loss of consciousness and she's bleeding out,' said Jeff rapidly.

'Oh God,' said Harry, recognising her face. 'She's one of ours. Works on AAU. Have worked with her many times. Talented doctor.'

'Yeah,' said Jeff. 'But she won't be for very much longer if we don't stop this bleeding.'

'Right,' said Harry. 'Let's get her to resus.'

Wheeling her as fast as they could into resus, the doctors and nurses began to hustle around to assess Maddy's condition.

'Right can we get IV fluids going through her and 8 units of cross match please Ellen,' he said.

'Sure,' said Ellen with a friendly smile.

'The bastard must have nearly taken the knife with him!' exclaimed Jay. 'She would've been better off with that thing sticking out of her! Why Maddy?'

'Jay,' said Harry reassuringly. 'I understand that she's your friend and you're worried, but you're no good to her in this state. Go and get a coffee, wash your face, change your clothes, and try to contact Maddy's next of kin. Understand?'

Jay nodded, and left the room, all the time his eyes focused on Maddy.

Carrying on, Harry said, 'The damage has been done by the removal of the knife, we need to get a GS surgeon down here ASAP.'

'I tried ringing them,' said Ellen. 'They said they're backlogged with ops.'

'Damn!' exclaimed Harry. 'Well, we'll have to do it here. Will you run and get a surgical kit for me please?'

'Sure,' she replied, scurrying away.

She returned quickly carrying the kit, and handed it to Harry, who was now in surgical robes.

'Okay, scalpel please,' said Harry slowly, making a small incision to lengthen Maddy's wound across the skin. 'Retractor please.'

Taking the retractor, he opened up the wound so that the damage was in full view.

'Ah, I see what's wrong here. The knife had punctured the kidney,' he said. 'A few well placed sutures and plenty of fluids should do it. It'll be a long road to recovery seeing as she hit her head when she fell, but if all goes well, she should wake soon.'

With the 2 0 prolein in his hands, he began to carefully suture the tear in Maddy's kidney that was causing the bleeding. As he did this, her vital signs began to even out.

'Well done Maddy,' said Harry. 'You are a true fighter. I'm going to close here, and then we can get her up to the ICU.'


	3. Chapter 3

Ruth stood by reception, watching as Maddy's unconscious form was wheeled from resus into one of the lifts. She found herself surround by the majority of her colleagues, all looking on in the same manner as she was, a look of worry and hope plastered over their faces. The bed passed her, and she very quickly busied herself with turning away and grabbing a patient's file. Calling the name written on it, she led the patient to one of the cubicles – a simple case of stitching a cut and cleaning it up.

Moving in autopilot, there was plenty of room in her mind for aimless thoughts and ponderings. The news of Maddy's stabbing had spread like wildfire, especially since she had been wheeled through the packed E.D. by two staff members. Not that news was ever easily contained within the hospital, but there was normal speed, then there was _quick_. Everyone knew of Maddy, regardless of the floor and department they worked in; she was just one of those people. This was suitably demonstrated by the fact that she, Ruth Winters, knew of her. of course, she had not actually spoken to her, but that was not the point – not everyone who knew had to have spoken to her for long, did they? She had to have consulted with her about a patient sometime, she _had_ to...

As Ruth shooed her patient away, Jay wandered out of the staff room as the lift doors closed. He looked like hell, and still had some dried blood on him. She knew how hard things hit him, if anyone knew she would, and finding a friend stabbed was not exactly on the list of un-affecting things. She knew how stressed she had been at the wedding of her patient's family, and him collapsing then had been bad enough, but someone you would have drink with? That you socialise with?

One part of her wanted to rush over to Jay, hug him close and tell him it'll all be okay. Of course though, the professional side of her prevailed, meaning she kept her distance and merely watched from a distance. He looked so torn up and restless that it almost hurt her inside.

He ran his hands through his hair before looking at them again; he must have noticed the blood because he winced and stood up before going into the staff room to, presumably, wash them. On impulse, she followed him, shutting the door behind her.

'Jay, I... I just wanted to say how sorry I am.'

'It's not your fault Ruth; it's those bastards who got her.'

'Seriously, it can't have been easy finding her. She'll be okay, the ICU here is good.'

'I know she will, I know. It's just...'

Jay trailed off, looking at Ruth helplessly, his dark eyes filled with hope and horror. Without thinking, she found herself taking the couple of steps over to him and looping her arms around him. There was a split second of a hug, before she released him, wide-eyed, and coughed, muttering some excuse as to why she was leaving. She couldn't let herself restart things with Jay; she'd only get hurt again...

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**So sorry for the delay guys - to say that life has been manic is a huge understatement. Hopefully you won't shoot us down in flames for daring to take so long.**

**Please review - we thrive on it :)**

**Woody2792x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for reviewing the third chapter, here is the fourth, written by me, CassidyTVNut. Please review, we thrive on them.**

Maddy had been in resus for over 8 hours, and although Harry had managed to repair the internal damage the knife had caused, Maddy was not out of the woods yet.

Her head injury had sent her into a deep coma, and she desperately needed the constant observation and treatment that the ICU offered.

And it bugged Harry that a fellow doctor, a colleague, such a popular woman that everyone got on with and knew even if they didn't work directly with her, was not receiving priority care. If it was triage they were going on, she was in need, if it was in importance of the patient, she definitely was an essential cog in the Holby machine. So why were they not doing something?!?

'Ellen,' barked Harry. 'Can you chase up the bed manager and find out if there's room in ICU for Maddy yet?'

'I called 5 minutes ago,' said Ellen. 'Nothing will have changed.'

'Just do it!' replied Harry harshly. 'Remind them that she's a fellow doctor, and there'll be a lot of disgruntled employees if she dies because of not receiving proper care.'

'That's a bit harsh Harry,' said Ellen. 'Although the ED isn't designed for long term care, we can manage for a little while.'

'Stop trying to be moral and do your job!' roared Harry in a way that he had never acted before. It was like he didn't recognise himself.

'I'm sorry,' he said quietly to Ellen, going over to her.

'There's something personal here,' said Ellen, seeing the pain behind his eyes. 'Were you and her?'

'Oh God no!' exclaimed Harry. 'She's young enough to be my daughter. She was friends with Kizzy and Tally. I wrote her a letter of referral for medical school. She used to have sleepovers with the girls. I've watched her grow up!'

'I understand,' said Ellen quietly. 'Harry, look, you need to get out of here for a little while. Go to your office, knock back a double espresso and compose yourself. I'll be up there in 5 minutes, after I've checked on the ICU again.'

'What would I do without you?' asked Harry with a bright smile.

'You wouldn't have a job after threatening to kill the bed manager, and you'd be arrested for assaulting them,' said Ellen brightly.

'Ah, that's why,' replied Harry. 'Thank you, for understanding.'

'You don't need to thank me,' said Ellen. 'Now go and sort yourself out with a coffee, or I will drag you up there.'

'Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself,' said Harry cheekily.

'Watch it,' she warned.

'Okay okay,' he replied, raising his hands up in defeat. 'I'm going.'

'Good,' she replied.

As he left, Ellen smiled then sighed as she realised that she'd have to make another phone call to the bed manager. Picking up the phone, she dialled the extension number.

'Hi, it's Ellen Zitek from the ED again, about Madeline Young,' she said. 'We need a bed for her on the ICU, we can't treat her long term here. Yes, I'm calling on behalf of Harry Harper. I don't know about you, but if a well known and loved junior doctor needed treatment for a serious injury, I'd certainly make room. Put your elective patients somewhere else and find a bed then! Or maybe I shall have to file a complaint for your rudeness? I think you'll find I do know your name, Tim Longman. I'll send the porters up.'

Leaving resus, she said, 'Hey Big Mac, can you get Maddy up to the ICU please?'

'I sure can,' he said, walking into resus. 'Are you coming too?'

'Umm, I have an errand to run,' said Ellen. 'Why don't you find Jay? He should be cleaned up by now.'

'Okay,' he replied in his friendly Welsh accent, going off to find Jay.

Before anyone could ask her for any help in cubicles, Ellen made a quick dash up the stairs to Harry's office, knocking on the closed door gently.

'Come in,' he said quietly.

The door crept open as she stepped in.

'You didn't have to knock,' he said, offering her a seat beside him. 'I've drank 2 double espressos, and I made you one.'

'Thanks,' she said, knocking bad the concentrated coffee and hissing at the heat against her teeth. 'You shouldn't have operated on Maddy you know?'

'I know,' replied Harry demurely. 'But I couldn't just leave her like that.'

After a long silence, Ellen said, 'I got Maddy a bed on the ICU.'

'That's good,' replied Harry.

'Are you ready to talk?' asked Ellen.

'I think so,' replied Harry. 'I feel so, so awkward.'

'Awkward because you're talking about it with me?' she asked in reply.

'Don't feel offended,' he replied softly. 'I'm not the greatest at letting things out.'

'I know,' said Ellen as he looked up at her in confusion. 'Harry, we weren't together for very long, but I know you more than you think. We were going to have a baby together, or I thought we were.'

Realising that some painful memories were dawning on her, Ellen said, 'But that's not what we're here about. Tell me about how you got to know Maddy.'

'Tally brought her home from school one day,' said Harry. 'She was about 6? We used to see her almost every other day. She was a great kid, always smiling, bringing laughter wherever she went. Our home became like a second home to Maddy when she and Tally were in secondary school, always staying over. They did everything together...They went to the same sixth form, always stayed in touch no matter what. Maddy was always more interested in medicine than Tally was, and so when the time for a recommendation letter to refer her for the degree course, she picked me. I was honoured.'

'Sounds like you were always there for her,' said Ellen.

'I tried to be,' replied Harry quietly. 'She never got on very well with her parents, she always came to me or Beth when she was in trouble. It was always me who picked her and Tally up at 2am after they were drunk and stranded. She's in trouble now, but there's no more I can do for her.'

Sensing the mounting emotion behind his eyes, Ellen hugged him closely, 'Just have faith in her. I've been on nights out with her, she's a really strong character. She'll pull through, I know it.'


	5. Chapter 5

Jac ran her hands through her hair and sighed wearily while waiting for her coffee. Couldn't they just serve quicker? This was a hospital after all, where people tended to _need_ caffeine as opposed to 'need' it. It had already been a long night, but with Maddy's arrival from resus and the transferral up to ICU, it had become a lot longer. Not that it had really affected Jac that much – she had not been a part of any of it and was only feeling stressed because she both knew Maddy and had been on-call all night, followed by the day shift. Things had been tense between herself and Joseph since he and Faye had broken up, and she did not really know where she stood with him. She had meant everything she had said in the lockdown, and still did – the kiss with Ollie meant nothing, and she had not seriously looked at another man since her break-up with Joseph. There was Michael; they had almost become friends since her mother left her again, but that was all they were.

With a slight tip of the head, Jac took her coffee and went just outside the doors to drink it; it was a cool morning, with the sun just starting to rise. Everything felt a lot freer outdoors than it did when she was in the hospital; she could feel the wish of flying away to forget everything starting to tug at her, encouraging her to forget the bad in her life... she leant against the wall, and felt relief flood through her as the caffeine seeped into her body – it was how she had dealt with medical school, and it was how she dealt now. Jac had drunk roughly half her cup when her pager started beeping against her hip – she was needed in theatre one. So she downed as much coffee as she could before throwing the near-empty cup into the bin and dashed into the lift.

She was scrubbing up as Joseph walked in through the double doors, gowned and ready to go. He took one look at her and tilted his head to one side, 'I can take it that you're assisting on this then?'

'I did get paged, yes. What do we have?'

'It's Maddy, there's been a CT complication – there's some blood around her heart, so we have to go figure out why it's there, and sort it out.'

'Obviously.'

Jac rubbed her eyes with her arm and nodded.

'Alright then. Let's go and do this.'

Together, they went into the theatre and began the operation. Joseph took the lead, with Jac assisting, and quickly they sourced the bleed. When Maddy had been stabbed, it was clear that the weapon had nicked just below the heart and slowly, blood had been leaking in. Twice Maddy went into VF, and twice they managed to stabilise her. After an hour or so, they closed up and went to clean themselves up. It was incredibly odd to think that the blood on them was that of a colleague rather than a stranger.

Both Jac and Joseph went through to corridor, and Joseph lifted the phone up to ring Keller for a bed. There was no answer, so he took a seat and breathed deeply.

'Are you okay Joe?'

'Yes, yes I'm fine. Things like this really make you think though eh? It could have been any one of us out there, or a member of the public; yet it was Maddy, one of the sweetest people around who wouldn't hurt anyone.'

'Mhm...'

'Although, I guess for you, the mere thought of _caring_ for someone other than yourself is alien.'

'You have no idea.'

'Sarcasm, at this time in the morning. Talented, even for you.'

'I've been up since 5 o'clock yesterday evening, on-call all night, and now this, and I have the shift this morning. So no, it isn't morning for me. And surprisingly, I _do_ care about people, more than one. Being abandoned by someone you trust without boundaries, twice, does take its toll on you though.'

Joseph pulled at his scrubs collar, clearly uncomfortable.

'Eh, I'm sorry, that was out of order. I shouldn't have said what I did, especially after what you went through with your mother.'

'No, you shouldn't have. I have to go and start ward rounds; I guess I'll see you later though.'

Jac stood up and left, leaving Joseph in the corridor. With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair and picked the phone up again to try ringing Keller for a bed for Maddy, praying they weren't still engaged. Thankfully Donna answered the phone.

'Hello, Keller ward, Donna speaking.'

'Donna, it's Joseph Byrne–'

'Joseph! How're things?'

'Good thanks. I need a bed – I've just finished surgery on Maddy, and she needs transferring up to a ward.'

'Um, there aren't actually any beds on Keller Mr Byrne...'

'What do you mean no beds? An operating theatre isn't an appropriate place for a patient to stay, let alone Maddy. Let me speak to someone else.'

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**Okay, so I haven't updated for a while... Blame me, Woody2792, entirely – schoolwork is crushing me slowly but surely, and I'm updating my fics in an order so I don't push one further ahead during hard times etc...**

**Just to clear up – this is loosely based on Maddy's stabbing in the show, but obviously, it now incorporates the recent events of Jac and her mother, and Joseph splitting with Faye.**

**Please review!**

**Woody2792x**


	6. Chapter 6

**A nice quick update for you all because we haven't updated very often. So enjoy **** Lots of Love, CassidyTVNut x**

_'Hello, Keller ward, Donna speaking.'_

_'Donna, it's Joseph Byrne–'_

_'Joseph! How're things?'_

_'Good thanks. I need a bed – I've just finished surgery on Maddy, and she needs transferring up to a ward.'_

_'Um, there aren't actually any beds on Keller Mr Byrne...'_

_'What do you mean no beds? An operating theatre isn't an appropriate place for a patient to stay, let alone Maddy. Let me speak to someone else.'_

Rolling her eyes, Donna said, 'Fine. Any particular someone else or do I get to choose?'

Sighing loudly, Joseph said, 'Get Ric.'

'There is a word you know, friendly polite little thing, gets you almost anywhere if you're asking nicely,' replied Donna, her tone extremely annoyed.

'Don't get sarcastic,' retorted Joseph. 'Just get Ric, please.'

'Fine,' she said, laying the phone down and going to find Ric.

Ric came to the phone a few seconds later, pressing the phone to his ear and saying, 'Ric Griffin.'

'Ric, it's Joseph,' said Joseph with a urgency about his voice. 'We've just had Maddy Young in theatre with a bleed around her heart, there are no beds here, or anywhere for that matter. She needs a bed desperately; do you have any on Keller?'

'Technically, no,' replied Ric vaguely.

'But at a push?' asked Joseph, sensing a loophole.

'We have a woman in bed 4 who's here for an elective operation. I can reschedule her and we can care for Maddy here,' said Ric.

'Thank God,' said Joseph under his breath, sending a quick mental prayer to whichever deity was watching.

'I'll send a porter up,' replied Ric quickly.

'Thank you,' said Joseph. 'Goodbye.'

Putting down the phone, he breathed a sigh of relief and said to Jac, who had returned in the meantime, 'We've got a bed for her. On Keller. Moving her won't be easy, but she can't stay up here.'

'I'll put up another bag of fluids,' said Jac. 'If we stabilise her enough, she should be safe to move.'

'Good,' replied Joseph.

_At Keller..._

Maddy was moved safely down to Keller in the lifts after being stabilised on Darwin. Being placed in bed 4, Donna and Maria had started to make her comfortable there by plumping up her pillows and adjusting her sheets.

'That's a neat little scar you've got there Madz,' said Donna.

'Yeah,' said Maria. 'Mr Byrne and Miss Naylor have done a great job.'

'They've fixed you up good and proper,' remarked Donna.

'Well, with a bit of luck you will be waking up soon,' said Maria. 'Everything that could've gone wrong has, but luckily your surgeon friends don't give up on you that easily.'

'I heard Mr Cullen was asking about you,' said Donna.

'Behave Donna!' exclaimed Maria. 'But, seriously Maddy, he has the hots for you!'

'And you tell me to behave!' remarked Donna. 'He really does Madz, in a soppy, geeky, Scottish kind of way.'

Giggling, Maria said, 'True true. He might come and see you up here Madz, pour his heart out thinking that you can't hear him.'

'But you will,' continued Donna. 'For sure. Coma patients hear a lot of things. Then maybe you'll get together. God, can you imagine it? Little Maddy and Linden babies running around the place, with Maddy's social skills and Linden's intelligence.'

'They'll take the place by storm,' remarked Maria. 'They'll be good looking kids for sure.'

Interrupting their conversation by whipping open the curtain, Diane said, 'Come on gossips, I'm sure that you're making Maddy's head ache even more.'

'We were just discussing the possibilities of Maddy/Linden babies,' said Donna. 'I'd say 70% chance, minimum.'

'Well, when you've finished discussing, like now for instance, will one of you go and do Mrs Taylor's obs, and one of you to change Mr Harris' dressings,' said Diane.

'I call obs!' exclaimed Maria and Donna in unison, groaning after they realised that they had said it at the same time.

'Rock paper scissors?' suggested Maria. 'Loser gets dressings.'

'Fine,' said Donna in reply, putting up paper.

'Ha!' exclaimed Maria as she put up scissors. 'I win! Have fun with Mr Harris, he's a pervert.'

'Great,' replied Donna, rolling her eyes and leaving the cubicle, Maria following closely behind her.

Checking the screens and Maddy's vitals, Diane leant out of the cubicle and said, 'Can we get Ms Young here 5mg of morphine?'

Recording it on the chart, she left the cubicle and strolled to Ric's office, standing in the doorway and saying, 'Knock knock.'

'Come in,' said Ric with a friendly tone. 'How is Maddy doing?'

'She's stable, but not showing any signs of improvement,' said Diane quietly. 'I ordered her some more morphine as her heart rate was up, thought she may have been uncomfortable.'

'She's unconscious and you're worried about comfort?' asked Ric.

'Well, yes,' replied Diane.

'It's good,' said Ric. 'Shows you care.'

'I do care,' stated Diane. 'Have you ever doubted that?'

Placing his glasses back on the table, Ric said, 'Not at all. You're one of the most compassionate people I know.'

'Thank you,' replied Diane. 'I could do with toughening up a bit.'

Leaning forward, Ric said, 'You don't need to Diane. Your compassion, amongst other things, makes you special. You empathise with your patients, they know that you care. It brings them comfort, makes them feel safe.'

'Amongst other things?' asked Diane. 'What sort of things?'

'Your beauty, your intelligence, need I go on?' asked Ric.

'No,' replied Diane quietly. 'You don't need to.'

'I'm glad we're clear,' replied Ric. 'Can I take you out for dinner tonight? I feel like we haven't talked properly for a while.'

'Sure,' replied Diane. 'It's a date, or not a date, it seems...'

'Who said that it wasn't a date?' replied Ric with a smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Linden Cullen went and collapsed into the seat in his office. He removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes before kneading his forehead; it had been a hard shift, especially with Maddy's arrival back at the hospital. With a start, he replaced his glasses onto his face, and stood up before striding out of the doors to AAU – there was somewhere important he had to be.

The corridors were a blur to him as he walked through them, the nurses becoming part of the walls. He sidestepped the trolleys and the day-to-day bustle of the hospital, nothing could stop him from where he was going. Even when Mark tried to talk to him, he wafted a hand in his direction and simply said, 'Later'. Only once he reached the bed on Keller that was Maddy's did Linden Cullen finally slow down. With a sideways look around the ward, he went through the curtain and sat on the edge of the bed; he briefly touched his fingers to her cheek before regaining composure. With his rosary beads in one hand, and Maddy's hand in the other, he began talking; at first it was more at her, but as he relaxed his conversation became a lot less formal and more like it was being held between two friends.

'Look Maddy, I know that you probably can't hear this, and for that small mercy I should probably be thankful. I wasn't exactly friendly when I first came in, but I hope this is both better, and might make up for it. Since I heard that you had been admitted into the hospital, I've been worried; of course, you'll be able to see it more in perspective when I say I've been more detached and colder towards our colleagues.

'I'm not trying to blame you, but I'm afraid it's the effect you have on me. Of course though, I can't say this to anyone working on AAU, they'd think I'd had a personality transplant or something similar... I wasn't always like this you know. There was a time when I wouldn't have hesitated to say I was interested, that I thought you were beautiful, that you caught my attention when you were anywhere near me. I would have shown or told you somehow, no matter how nerdy or Scottish it was.

'That version of me went with my wife. Everything's been harder since she left; I'm torn up – I don't want to lose or forget her, but this has pulled me once again – I don't think I could stand losing you, despite the fact that nothing's happened between us; as least I have memories of my wife and I together.'

Linden put his rosary beads into his pocket and moved a little closer to Maddy, placing on hand on her cheek and keeping hold of her hand with his other.

'Saying this feels like such a betrayal to Olivia, but I can't not say it. Madeleine Young, you're one of the most beautiful, happy people that I know and I'm so glad that I work with you. Even if nothing happens, I'll treasure you as my friend, and hopefully one day, when I get my act together, I'll summon up the courage to tell you this all in person.'

Gently, the doctor brushed a curl from Maddy's face and bent over to lightly kiss her forehead.

'I'll be back soon I promise, and definitely for when you've woken up.'

Linden got off the bed with as little disturbance as was possible, and turned to go. He paused momentarily as the machines changed their rate of beeping, and figured it was within the normal range so he made to move again. When a hand clutched at his arm and scrubs and a choking sound filled his ears, he whirled around to see Maddy opening her eyes and grimacing.

'Maddy, calm down, I need you to listen okay? You've had surgery and been intubated. Just lie still, and I'll take the tube out for you. On the count of three, I need you to exhale, okay? Alright then, one... two... three, there we go.'

Linden placed the tube on a surface on the other side of the room. He gently helped Maddy up into a sitting position, resulting in holding her close to him for a moment while he arranged the pillows. Once she was comfortable, he retook his seat on the bed, and looked deeply into her brown eyes.

'I need you to just stay as still as possible – you've had both general surgery, and CT surgery, so you'll be a bit sore for a while, and you need to let someone know if the pain is too much, okay? Good girl, now then, have a quick sip of water... Can you remember any of what happened to you?'

'I... I was out. End of... shift. Car park, by... ED? Two boys, one was hurt. I went over, then, then... he, he stabbed... me. It, it went cold...'

'It's okay, you're okay now.'

Maddy's voice grew a bit stronger as she became more aware of her surroundings and more awake. Evidently more was coming back to her, and her stats were going down as time passed – something that pleased Linden no end.

'I remember, here, Maria and Donna talking... Can't remember all of what they said, but... but then you came, and it made sense...'

She pulled a confused face, trying hard to remember what her friends had told her. a smile graced her lips as something struck her, and as she giggled a little she grimaced in pain.

'They said something about you and me, and...For some reason some mini-us'. They went though, I'm not too sure why and things went fuzzy.'

Suddenly, something struck Linden and he felt his cheeks go red as he spoke to Maddy.

'Did, did you hear anything I said before you woke up?'

* * *

**OKay, so that's my bit done once again =) CassidyTVNut will be sending me her bit at some point - we both have exams going on at the moment, so please be understanding. However, I wouldn't rule out the possiblility of reviews spurring us on... Either way, reviews are feedback - whether you love it or hate it. So please, I beg you, just a line or two - we live on feeback.**

**Thanks, Woody2792x**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you guys for being so patient, we realise it's been about 4 months since we've posted, but our lives have been ever so busy. We have been swamped with work for our GCSE's and A-Levels. This year, we're still swamped, but we're going to try to make time to post. So bear with us. Please review, because we thrive on them.**

_Suddenly, something struck Linden and he felt his cheeks go red as he spoke to Maddy._

_'Did, did you hear anything I said before you woke up?'_

'So what if I did?' she asked, a cheeky smile lighting her face as her eyes danced.

'There's the old Maddy,' he said with a smile.

'Hey!' she exclaimed, playfully hitting his arm with what little energy she could muster. 'Less of the old, I haven't even hit 30 yet.'

'That's making me feel old,' said Linden.

'Come here,' she said to him, beckoning him closer. He leant down towards her and she whispered in his ear, 'I think, Mr Cullen, that you were born old.'

'Really?' he replied.

'Yup,' she replied. 'But you do look very young. Very dashing. I'm liking the stubble. Is that intentional or is my hospitalisation making you forget to shave?'

'I don't know to be honest,' said Linden, running a hand across his whiskered chin and cheeks. 'Forgot I guess, or I'm lacking motivation...so you didn't answer my question...'

'I know,' declared Maddy, clearing her throat gently and taking a sip of water to lubricate it.

'Will you?' he asked.

'I don't know, what was the question?' she asked. When he responded with a confused look, she said, 'Head injuries, bad for the memory...'

'I wanted to know if you had heard anything of what I'd said to you while you were unconscious,' he stated.

'Does it matter if I did?' she asked with another of her penetrating gazes.

'No,' he said softly, trying to avoid making eye contact.

'Which means it does,' she said with a look that penetrated his very soul. What was it about that look that could reach him on so many different levels? 'Tell me Linden, please?'

'It's good to be talking to you again,' said Linden, trying to avoid the question. 'There have been so many times since you've been here when we thought that you couldn't or wouldn't make it through. But you're so strong, you're such a fighter, you pulled through each and every time. It's amazing, so inspirational to watch you defy the odds like that. You amazed everyone who doubted you Maddy.'

'It would help if you answered the question,' she said raspily, taking another sip of the plastic cup of water in her hand. 'You're babbling, and avoiding answering, which makes me wonder what you said to me whilst I was unconscious.'

'You don't remember?' he asked.

'Bits and pieces, nothing too significant,' she replied. 'In your own words, fill in the gaps. Tell me what you said.'

'I can tell you my exact words if you like,' he said. 'I remember them like...'

'A bible passage? A prayer? A hymn? Anything remotely religious?' she asked.

'Yeah,' said Linden.

'I'm honoured,' said Maddy. 'Okay, go ahead, I'm all ears, and a fuzzy drug addled brain.'

'I said, 'Look Maddy, I know that you probably can't hear this, and for that small mercy I should probably be thankful. I wasn't exactly friendly when I first came in, but I hope this is both better, and might make up for it. Since I heard that you had been admitted into the hospital, I've been worried; of course, you'll be able to see it more in perspective when I say I've been more detached and colder towards our colleagues. I'm not trying to blame you, but I'm afraid it's the effect you have on me. Of course though, I can't say this to anyone working on AAU, they'd think I'd had a personality transplant or something similar... I wasn't always like this you know. There was a time when I wouldn't have hesitated to say I was interested, that I thought you were beautiful, that you caught my attention when you were anywhere near me. I would have shown or told you somehow, no matter how nerdy or Scottish it was. That version of me went with my wife. Everything's been harder since she left; I'm torn up – I don't want to lose or forget her, but this has pulled me once again – I don't think I could stand losing you, despite the fact that nothing's happened between us; as least I have memories of my wife and I together. Saying this feels like such a betrayal to Olivia, but I can't not say it. Madeleine Young, you're one of the most beautiful, happy people that I know and I'm so glad that I work with you. Even if nothing happens, I'll treasure you as my friend, and hopefully one day, when I get my act together, I'll summon up the courage to tell you this all in person.'

'Well you have,' said Maddy.

'Have what?' said Linden, a hint of confusion present in his voice.

'Summoned up the courage to tell me all of that in person,' said Maddy. 'Even though I coerced you into it.'

'What does this mean?' said Linden. 'What do we do? How do you feel?'

'That's a lot of questions,' said Maddy. 'And I can't answer them right now. For now, I just want to be held by you.'

She patted a space beside her on the bed and Linden edged his way over there. Maddy rested her head feebly on his shoulder, and Linden enveloped her in a close hug.

'I always imagined that you'd give good hugs,' said Maddy. 'I was always curious to find out...'

'Well,' said Linden. 'Now you know.'


End file.
